Help! I’m ordering Bridesmaid or Best Man dresses that are in the empire waist style. One of my bridesmaids is very straight up and down, so much so that her waist measurement is exactly the same as her bust. Her hips are only a couple inches bigger.

To fit her bust and hips, we have to go up two sizes from her street size. That seems very common in bridesmaid dresses, and we were expecting that.

If I go by the dress measurement guidelines for her waist, however, we have to go up four sizes and the bust and hips would be about 7-9 inches too big for her. Can a dress even be taken in that far and still look okay?

So, for empire dresses, where it is only tight right under the bust, is the waist measurement important? Especially when it should fit in the hip, which is the largest measurement?

@julies1949: Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. I’d already emailed WeddingtonWay for their input, but sent Dessy a message as well. Thank you for that suggestion! Maybe between them they can steer us in the right direction.